Issue Cover (March 2020)

Front cover: N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors (NMDARs) mediate a number of physiological and pathophysiological processes. We sought to determine if the novel NMDAR modulator NYX‐2925, discovered by Aptinyx Inc. and currently in Phase 2 clinical development for chronic pain conditions, increases glutamatergic neurotransmission. Image content: The rat primary hippocampal neuron depicted on the cover was treated with NYX‐2925 at concentrations that increase synaptic levels of GluN2B‐containing NMDARs via a novel ion‐flux independent mechanism, which in turn, increases the ability of chemical long‐term potentiation to increase synaptic levels of GluA1‐containing α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors. Green: PSD‐95 positive puncta, Red: GluA1 positive puncta, Blue: MAP‐2 positive puncta.Read the full preface   ‘NYX‐2925 induces metabotropic N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR) signaling that enhances synaptic NMDAR and α‐amino‐3‐ hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid receptor’ by M. S. Bowers, L. P. Cacheaux, S. U. Sahu, M. E. Schimdt, J. A. Sennello, K. Leaderbrand, M. A. Khan, R. A. Kroes, J. R. Moskal (J. Neurochem. 2020, vol. 152 (5), pp. 523–541) on doi: 10.1111/jnc.14845